Filosano [fee-loh sá-no]
THE FILOSANO STORY
Filosano is a curated, online marketplace for sustainable design. We connect independent artists and designers with their ideal customers through a unique shopping experience that builds community around shared ideals, and supports artisans and local economies. We carefully select the best and most beautiful items we can find, including sustainably-sourced and organic Women’s and Men’s Clothing and Accessories, eco-friendly products for Kids, and unique items for the Home made from recycled, upcycled, and sustainable, transparently-sourced components. We carefully research our featured producers, and work solely with crafters who use Organic, Recycled, Renewable, Repurposed, and Low-Impact components to create their work.
"Filo" means thread or rope, and "Sano" translates from Latin to healthy, wholesome, well, and right. The common thread for all the products we sell at Filosano is that are made in a way and with components that leave as little impact on our environment as possible. We like to think of ourselves as healthy threads.
Filosano showcases multiple designers with whom we share a close personal relationship of trust. Makers are selected based on their commitment to creating beautiful original designs of exceptional quality, while employing sustainable and responsible methods of production.
We know exceptional, sustainable product options exist and can be available to everyone. We believe that you should know what you are buying, where it came from, how it was made, and who made it. We also believe that you should be able to do this easily, and strive to save our customers time by creating a direct channel to a diverse selection of products, while leaving the research to us.
What Makes Filosano Different?
A Curated Sustainable Marketplace:
We put great effort into vetting our products to provide access to the highest-quality designs and most sustainable materials available. We believe that consumers have a right to know WHO made the products they purchase, HOW they were made, WHAT materials were used, and that the creators care as much about sustainability, responsibility, and transparency as they do.
Education and Research:
Our customers want to know how our apparel and accessory options are delivering on their sustainable claims. We dive into the specifics of sustainability; what it means and how it is achieved, not just with each producer, but for every one of their products. Our website details the processes involved in creating products you can trust. If a product does not reach our exacting requirements, we will not offer it for sale.
Service Experience:
It is our goal to enable our customers to find what they want easily, efficiently, and enjoyably to make the purchase process stress-free. We stand by every product we sell and have personal relationships with all of our producers to ensure excellent, seamless service throughout your browsing and buying experience. We’re always here to answer questions!
You--Our Customers!
Filosano shoppers value, appreciate, and seek out unique, sustainable, hand-crafted, and locally-made products. They choose quality designs, and prefer to shop from independent producers who share their values.
ABOUT OUR FOUNDER
Maury grew up traveling with her family in developing countries. She loved these beautiful places and connected with the people who lived there, but was also exposed to poverty, need, and the negative impacts of limited regulation and oversight. When she grew older, Maury moved to the United States and was amazed by the country’s wealth and surplus: most people had anything they wanted, and when it was no longer new, they threw it away. This contrast to her upbringing was both exciting and confusing; never having had access to so many shiny new things, she wanted them, but also recognized their worth in a different way than her friends did. She sought to balance this by seeking out second-hand clothing, furniture, and used cars, and strove to extend the life of still-useful but discarded goods.Maury went on to study biology and physiology, and became passionate about how things work and how they are made. She paid off her college ROTC scholarship with service as an Officer in the Army, and developed a real appreciation for process, efficiency, leadership, and communication. After her years in the military, Maury worked with medical technology, becoming an expert in production processes and supply channels.
Over the years, she had also become the expert among her family, friends, and contacts for recommendations on a sustainable approach to life. Maury observed that the marketplace was inundated with “eco,” “green,” or “sustainable” products, but found that most consumers had limited understanding of what these terms meant, and their greater impact on their environment. Eventually her passion for educating about and supporting sustainability led to Filosano. Through Filosano, Maury offers a curated marketplace that features products from select designers, all made with their broader impact in mind. When evaluating a product, Maury always asks, “Where did the materials for this come from? How did the materials get here? How were the processed?” Her goal is for Filosano to provide a window for consumers into the products they buy, empowering to make informed decisions that consider the impact their purchases have on the world. She hopes this approach to transparent production and education will eventually change the landscape of commercialism.
OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR VENDORS
A huge part of providing sustainable products to customers, is supporting those businesses making the products. We strive to help our vendors with supply chain management; we help to develop a lean manufacturing and inventorying system to allow for efficiency and productivity. We assist in product positioning; best images to present the product, most effective product descriptions and titles. We help develop pricing and inventorying strategies. Our goal is to promote businesses that are promoting sustainability.
OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR SUSTAINABILITY
We believe very strongly that every purchase in our daily lives is an opportunity to reduce our own impact. That's why, at our headquarters we do everything we can. Here are a few of the products we use and recommend to you:
Tree Free Bathroom Tissue - this works exactly the same as conventional bathroom tissue but it does not use any tree products. Instead the paper is made from a sugar cane byproduct called bagasse. We also use their printer paper and paper towels.
LED light bulbs - have 20% of the operational cost (including energy saving and bulb cost) of incandescent light bulbs.
Instead of using plastic bags for our puppy waste pick ups, we use GorillaSupply pet waste bags. These bags will biodegrade within 12-36 months. Of course we all hope that all of our waste ends up in the designated receptacle but some bags escape. By using biodegradable bags, we can ensure that we are not contributing to the ocean of plastic.
For our compost we use and recommend BioBags. Your home compost lands directly in a compost heap where it decomposes turns into a nutrient rich soil. Since BioBags are compostable they can be dumped with the compost, saving you from a stinky mess.
Filosano proudly partners with Green Power Partners and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. We use 100% clean energy by using carbon offsets through Green Power Partner. The mission of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to protect human health and the environment. Learn more here: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa. By using green power, Filosano is helping support the development of new renewable energy generation capacity nationwide while also helping protect the environment.